Falling Star's Prophecy
by Blizzard-dream
Summary: Disaster is coming to the Clans and only Starclan knows it. How will they stop it? They choose twelve cats, three siblings from each Clan, to travel far away to find the answer. Will the twelve be able to save the Clans in time? ON HOLD
1. Affiliations

_**ThunderClan**_

**Leader:** Sagestar - cream-colored tom with bright green eyes

**Deputy:** Swiftlegs – swift, long-legged tom with black fur and white paws

**Apprentice**, Littlepaw

**Medicine Cat:** Willowheart – small brown tabby she-cat with blue-green eyes

**Warriors** _(toms, and she-cats without kits):_

Cloudear - long-haired white she-cat with a wide, dark tabby stripe down her back

Dustface – dust-colored tom with a lighter face

**Apprentice**, Wheatpaw

Rabbitfur - velvety light brown she-cat

Shrewclaw - dark brown tabby with pale green eyes

**Apprentice**, Ravenpaw

Snowtooth - large pure white tom

Lionfang - golden long-haired tom

Fadedleaf - pale calico she-cat

**Apprentices** _(more than 6 moons old, in training to become warriors)_

Littlepaw – small white-and-tabby she-cat

Wheatpaw – golden-brown tom with darker paws

Ravenpaw – black she-cat with bushy tail

**Queens** _(she-cats expecting or nursing kits):_

Acornpelt - cream-colored with ginger ears and tail

Tawneyfeather – pretty tortoiseshell she-cat; mother of Birdkit,

Nightkit and Blizzardkit

**Elders** _(former warriors and queens, now retired):_

Treegaze – brown tabby tom with darker stripes and thick fur

_**Windclan**_

**Leader:** Falconstar - tabby she-cat with black, white, and brown stripes

**Deputy:** Yellowfur - bright yellow tom with bushy tail

**Apprentice**, Nettlepaw

**Medicine Cat:** Stonespots - dark and light gray spotted tom

Warriors _(toms, and she-cats without kits):_

Foxtail - reddish tom with white paws and tail

Smokefur - dark gray tom

Mossclaw - gray-blue she-cat with green eyes

**Apprentice**, Skypaw

Shadowpelt - dark gray tom

Graysand - dusty gray-colored she-cat with hazel eyes

Tigerstripe – dark brown tabby tom

Honeyfang – fierce golden she-cat

Bluepetal - blue-gray she-cat

**Apprentices** _(older than 6 moons, in training to be warriors):_

Nettlepaw – light brown tom with spiky fur

Skypaw – large pale blue-grey tom

**Queens** _(she-cats expecting or nursing kits):_

Spottednose – dark gray she-cat with white spots, mother of Echokit, Stormkit and Lionkit

Graycloud - long haired, pale gray she-cat with squashed face, mother

of Yarrowkit and Sunkit

**Elders** _(former warriors and queens, now retired):_

Cinderears - tabby tom with singed ears

_**Riverclan**_

**Leader:** Rainstar - gray-blue tom with blue eyes

**Deputy:** Graymist – gray tom with black tabby stripes, yellow eyes

**Medicine Cat:** Waterfur - gray-blue she-cat with blue eyes

**Apprentice**, Grasstongue

**Warriors** _(toms, and she-cats without kits):_

Amberspot – amber-colored she-cat with black spots

Redfur - dark ginger tom with thick fur

**Apprentice**, Heronpaw

Thorntail - golden-brown she-cat with amber eyes

Blackstorm - long-haired black tom

**Apprentice**, Stonepaw

Hawkwing- dark brown tabby she-cat

Blackstripe - silver tabby tom with amber eyes

**Apprentice**, Minnowpaw

Rosewhisker – pale red she-cat

Ashcloud – small gray tabby tom with green eyes

**Apprentices** _(more than 6 moons, in training to be warriors):_

Grasstongue - scruffy tabby tom with green eyes

Minnowpaw – silky silver she-cat

Stonepaw - pretty gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Heronpaw – blue-grey tom

**Queens** _(she-cats expecting or nursing kits):_

Snowlily - pure white she-cat, mother of Gullkit and Streamkit

Larkfeather - creamy brown she-cat with long tail, mother of Daisykit, Twigkit and Cricketkit

**Elders** _(former warriors and queens, now retired):_

Raggedtail_ – _very old, battle-scarred tabby tom

_**Shadowclan**_

**Leader:** SpottedStar - black-spotted gold she-cat

**Deputy:** Owlears - dark tortoiseshell she-cat with orange eyes

**Medicine Cat:** Dustwhisker – dusty orange-brown tom

**Warriors** _(toms, and she-cats without kits):_

Dapplefur - dark speckled she-cat

**Apprentice**, Volepaw

Snaketooth - skinny black tom with wide staring eyes

Wildheart - fiery orange tom

**Apprentice**, Rabbitpaw

Iceshade - pale gray she-cat with black ears and paws

**Apprentice**, Dewpaw

Sparkpelt – bright yellow she-cat

Rocklegs – grey tabby tom with darker legs

Falconstrike – grey-and-brown tabby tom

Eaglecry – solid brown tom with bright yellow eyes

**Apprentices** _(more than 6 moons, in training to be warriors):_

Volepaw - dark gray-brown tom

Rabbitpaw – small cream-and-orange tabby she-cat

Dewpaw - light gray-blue tabby she-cat

**Queens** _(she-cats expecting or nursing kits):_

Fireflower - ginger she-cat with yellow eyes, mother of Coalkit,

Emberkit, and Earthkit

**Elders **_(former warriors and queens, now retired):_

Darkfrost - dark tabby tom with lighter gray outer pelt; former Medicine Cat

Brindlebelly - once pretty calico she-cat with green eyes

_**Cats Outside Clans**_

Sableclaw – large, thick-furred, solid black she-cat with yellow eyes; a loner who lives on the boundary of Thunderclan and Shadowclan


	2. Prologue

**Hello everyone, and welcome to my wonderful -cough- story. This is my first time doing this, so bear with me. Reviews would be nice if anyone has any advice for me. :]**

**Erin Hunter owns Warriors, not me. If any names and/or plot lines are the same, it is purely coincidence. I don't steal names... or plots.**

**Anywho, enjoy!**

**Prologue**

A whisper of wind hushed through the trees, rustling leaves and making the moon-dappled forest floor dance with patches of light. The moon was almost full overhead and was reflected clearly in a small pool of water that was constantly fed by a tiny burbling waterfall. Around the reflection of the moon were hundreds of stars that slowly winked out, one by one, and starry forms began forming around the pool. Shapes of lithe, lean-muscled cats of all sizes manifested, with a fiery orange tom at the head of the group.

All eyes were on the tom as he gazed into the pool, and there was a long silence before he finally raised his head, his green eyes brimming with starlight.

"Destruction is coming to the Clans." He meowed.

Whispers of shock and disbelief swept around the pool, passing from cat to cat like a disease. What did he mean? Suddenly, one cat, a mottled gray tom, stood up and approached the orange tom. Gazes filled with worry followed him, clinging to his shape like a lifeline.

"Are you sure of this, Firestar?" the gray tom asked. He dipped his head to the former leader. "I mean no disrespect, but you have been wrong before."

Firestar nodded. "If you doubt me, Jayfeather, take a look for yourself." He moved aside to allow the gray tom to peer into the pool.

Jayfeather starred at the water for even longer than Firestar, but when he raised his head, his gaze was bitter.

"Firestar's not wrong. The Clans are in grave danger."

"Why?"

"What should we do?" Cries of fear filled the small clearing around the Moonpool. Firestar stood and waved his tail to signal silence. Three other cats separated from the group and moved to join him. A brown tom and blue-gray she-cat sat on his left, while a large white tom with black paws took his place on the right of Firestar.

"The four of us, as former leaders of the Clans, have devised a plan. Three cats from each Clan will be chosen to travel to a distant land, where they will find help to save the Clans from this disaster." Firestar looked around at the group of StarClan cats, allowing his gaze to rest on each cat in turn.

"This danger is still a ways off; therefore, the cats chosen will be young, and must grow into their destiny in their own time." He leaned down over the pool and just brushed the surface with his nose. In the rippling water appeared the image of a beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat. Her stomach bulged with pregnancy.

"This is Tawneyfeather. Within a few days, she will give birth to three kits. They will represent ThunderClan when the time comes." There were murmurs of approval around the circle; Tawneyfeather was well known for her bravery and fighting skills. Firestar turned to the she-cat on his left. "Mistystar?"

The blue-gray she-cat stepped up to the pool and touched her nose to the water. A cream-colored she-cat with a long tail appeared. She too bore the marks of heavy pregnancy.

"Larkfeather's kits will represent RiverClan in its darkest hour. They will grow to become great warriors." There was a purr in Mistystar's voice. Larkfeather was one of her own kin. The former RiverClan leader looked over at the large white tom. "It is your turn, Blackstar."

Blackstar nodded and approached the pool. Bending his huge head, he caused large ripples to appear on the water. Three small kits wavered into view. They looked to be only a few days old. The largest was a dusty black; the middle kit the color of a dying flame, and the third had rich brown fur.

"These kits are known as Coalkit, Emberkit, and Earthkit. They will be the saviors of ShadowClan." Blackstar's eyes flashed around the group, as if daring any cat to question his choice.

"Thank you Blackstar," Firestar mewed. The brown tom stepped forward. "Onestar, who will represent your Clan?"

Onestar's choices appeared in the pool. Three small kits were wrapped up in sleep. The two gray kits lay curled around their smaller golden-pelted sibling.

"WindClan will send Stormkit, Echokit, and Lionkit." Onestar murmured.

Onestar stepped back and Firestar took his place. "Cats of StarClan; we must put our faith into these twelve cats. Guide their paws onto the right paths, and the Clans will be saved." His last words were addressed to the sky.

As quickly as they had come, the starry cats disappeared into the shadowy forest, leaving the Moonpool behind, shimmering brightly.

**I promise the actual chapters will be longer. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 1

**Blizzard-dream here. Well, I have a few chapters saved on my laptop; I just thought I'd space them out to give me more time to write more. But after the prologue, I'm eager to update.  
I got one whole comment! Woot! Thanks mosstaloncat7. xD  
**

**By the by, this story takes place a few generations after the most current books, hence the dead leaders/other important characters and the same lake setting.  
Erin Hunters owns Warriors, not me. All similar names and plots (including those of other fanfics) are coincidence. **

**Chapter One**

A late bare-leaf snow covered the ground in a blanket almost two mouse-lengths thick. Larkfeather stood at the entrance of the nursery, inhaling the scent of fresh snow. It was cold and sharp, but exhilarating. Larkfeather looked around at the sound of a small squeak; her kits had been born only half a moon ago, and were still attuned to her sleeping patterns. When she awoke, they did too.

There was a tiny gasp. "What is it, Mother?" breathed Larkfeather's tiniest kit. It was the fluffy yellow she-kit Larkfeather had named Daisykit.

"It's snow, dear. Kind of like fluffy water." Larkfeather licked the top of her daughter's head.

"Snow?" asked Larkfeather's only son, a solid brown tom named Cricketkit. He was the biggest and bravest of her kits. Even now, he reached out a tiny paw to touch the shining whiteness outside the nursery. "Oh!" he exclaimed, shaking his paw. "It's cold!"

Larkfeather purred. "Where's Twigkit?" she asked, looking behind her. Twigkit was her other daughter.

"Here," Twigkit said quietly. She was standing right next to the entrance, and her light grayish pelt faded into the snowy background. Vague black stripes could be seen, and they would sharpen, as she got older, until she looked just like her father.

"How we supposed to get out?" Twigkit asked, starring at the wall of snow. It was almost taller than her when she stood on her hind legs.

"We'll just have to wait until some of it melts. Or someone digs us out." Larkfeather shooed her kits away from the entrance. "Come on, I don't want you all catching a cold." She lay down in her nest and her kits gathered around her, instantly falling asleep.

"Can we get out?" asked the only other cat in the nursery, a white queen named Snowlily. Her stomach bulged with her unborn kits.

Larkfeather nodded. "I probably could, but these three won't be able to. The snow is almost twice as high as them." She looked down fondly at her three kits. "You should probably stay here too." She said to Snowlily. "I'm sure one of the warriors will be around soon to dig us out."

Snowlily nodded and lay back down in her nest. Larkfeather rested her head on her paws, but didn't go to sleep. Instead she watched the sun slowly change the snow from gray to shining white. She must have dozed off after a while, because the sun was much higher in the sky when she was awoken by the sound of someone digging at the snow in front of the nursery. Suddenly, a black-and-white stripped face was peering at her over the gap in the snow.

"Blackstripe!" Larkfeather purred happily and jumped up to nuzzle her mate. Right behind her were her kits, bouncing around happily, crying, "Blackstripe!"

Blackstripe was beaming. "Hello kits! Don't worry; Redfur and I'll have you dug out of here in three twitches of a rabbit's nose." With that, he went back to digging.

Redfur, a furry, dark ginger tom, was the first to reach the entrance. He scooped the snow away with his wide front paws, then kicked it behind him. Finally, he and Blackstripe paced back and forth in front of the nursery, stamping down the snow into a sort of path. Behind them, Larkfeather saw that all the snow from around the edges of camp and been pushed to the middle. The two warriors had made a path from the warrior's den to the nursery, while three other warriors, Hawkwing, Thorntail and Ashcloud, made a path past Rainstar's den. They had dug the apprentices out, and now the three apprentices were digging in front of the elder's den. Soon, a path of hard snow led all the way around the RiverClan camp. The pile of snow in the middle made it difficult for anyone to see all the way across the camp.

"Sorry that took so long," Blackstripe commented as he made his way back to Larkfeather. She sat at the entrance, her kits exploring the hardened snow path in front of her. "No one noticed it had snowed this much until Graymist tried to gather the dawn patrol." Graymist was the current deputy of Riverclan. "It took them a while to dig their way out of the warrior's den; it's a lot harder getting out than in." Blackstripe let out a small chuckle, when one of the kits, Cricketkit, barreled into him in pursuit of Twigkit.

"I'm the great Crookedstar!" he cried. Leaping away from his father, Cricketkit finally managed to pounce of his sister.

"Well, I'm Leopardstar, and I'm gonna to shred you!" Cricketkit yelped when she nipped his shoulder.

"That's silly," Daisykit spoke up from her position next to her mother. "Crookedstar was dead before Leopardstar was leader. They wasn't leaders at the same time."

Cricketkit and Twigkit exchanged glances. "How d'you know so much?" Cricketkit asked.

"I listen when the elders tell the 'pprentices stories. And they've told me some." Daisykit tilted her head towards Cricketkit. "You should be Blackstar or Firestar. Or maybe Onestar; he was brown like you. And they was all leaders at the same time."

Twigkit shook her head in amazement. It was cool that her sister knew so much about the past, but sometimes it became annoying. Her thoughts didn't get much further, however, because at that moment, Cricketkit tackled her.

"I don't wanna be some dumb WindClan leader," he growled. "I'm Tigerstar, the fiercest warrior the world has ever seen!" He let out a pitiful version of a battle cry. Daisykit giggled and threw herself into the fray, knocking Cricketkit off of Twigkit.

Blackstripe couldn't help shivering at the sound of Tigerstar's name. Every cat around the lake had heard of the notorious tabby, and how he managed to create all kinds of death and chaos, both when he was alive, and after he'd passed on to the Dark Forest.

Two warriors, a tabby she-cat and gray tabby tom, exited the warriors den, heading in the direction of the nursery. The she-cat, Hawkwing, approached Blackstripe, closely followed by the tom, Ashcloud. "Are you ready, Blackstripe?" the dark tabby asked.

"Yes, just a moment." Hawkwing nodded and she and Ashcloud made their way to the camp entrance. Blackstripe turned to Larkfeather. "I'll see you later," he meowed to her. "I'm needed for a hunting patrol." RiverClan's main source of prey was the fish from the river, but even near the end of leaf-bare, most of the streams were frozen over. In these cases, Blackstripe, being the best tracker in the Clan, usually hunted with Hawkwing and Ashcloud, who were very good at hunting land prey.

"Then I'll see you when you get back." Larkfeather pressed her pelt against his. "And be careful." She whispered in his ear.

"I will," Blackstripe answered. He gave Larkfeather a quick farewell lick, and then bounded towards the entrance, calling to his apprentice, Minnowpaw. She met him right as he encountered the returning dawn patrol.

"It's pretty quiet out there." Graymist commented. "Not a cat, Two-leg, or even a mouse for that matter. Good luck." He mewed gruffly. Blackstripe nodded and disappeared, followed by the silver flash of his apprentice.

Larkfeather slid back into the nursery, Daisykit on her heels. "Cricketkit, Twigkit, come inside. I don't need you to getting greencough and giving it to everyone else."

After a bit of grumbling, the two kits shuffled inside. Larkfeather lay down and wrapped herself around her kits. A pang of fear went through her when she felt the kits' tiny bodies grating against her rib bones. It was a good thing new-leaf was on its way. Her kits need nourishment if they were going to survive. And how was she supposed to produce milk when the snows drove all the prey underground?

**Hooray for chapter one! And yes, I know the kits speak funny. It's kitspeak; I just made it up. xD But it seemed appropriate, since little kids talk that way too. R&R, por favor.**


	4. Chapter 2

**Oh look, it's little 'ole me again... Blizzard-dream that is. I'm not sure who you were expecting. Anywho, here's chapter 2**  
**P.S. No more updates until I get at least two reviews! -gnashes teethes-**

**Disclaimer: Erin Hunter owns Warriors, not me. If any names/plots are the same or seem similar to yours or anyone else's, it's a coincidence and nothing else. **

**Chapter 2**

"Come on!" squealed a small kit voice. Three kits tumbled through the snow, their dark pelts contrasting darkly with the thin blanket of snow. The thick covering of pine trees around the ShadowClan camp had reduced the ground snow to a minimum, and it was perfect for young kits to play in.

The mother of the three kits, Fireflower, a dark ginger tabby, sat watching happily from the nursery entrance. She was the only queen in ShadowClan, and her kits were the only kits. It was good that there were three of them; when they couldn't find an apprentice or warrior to bother, they could keep each other company.

At the moment, the biggest kit, a soot-colored tom named Coalkit, was pinned beneath his siblings, who were giggling uncontrollably. Coalkit reached up and swiped his sister in the ear with his paw. She rolled off of him, laughing, and coating her rich reddish-brown pelt with snow. Earthkit was the only she-kit of the group. The third kit, a tom whose pelt was identical to his mother's, leaped off Coalkit before he shared his sister's fate. His name was Emberkit; he was the fastest of Fireflower's kits.

However, they were distracted from their game by the return of the morning hunting patrol. The kits' father, Wildheart, a fiery orange tom, was first, followed by his apprentice, a small tabby she-cat named Rabbitpaw. A skinny black tom named Snaketooth and a gray tabby known as Rocklegs made up the rest of the patrol. Wildheart placed half his catch on the fresh-kill pile, then made his way to the nursery, carrying a frog and a vole in his jaws. Fireflower greeted him with a purr and accepted the vole from him. Wildheart dropped his frog on the ground and turned to his kits, who were each attempting to capture his tail.

"Roar!" he mock-growled. "I'm a scary ThunderClan warrior, coming to steal some kits!" He stomped around like a badger, while Earthkit and Emberkit ran away from him.

"I'll save you!" Coalkit shouted. He pounced on his father's back legs, wrapping his paws around them. "I'm Blackstar, and I'm going to chase you out of ShadowClan territory!"

"Oh no!" Wildheart cried, falling over. He flailed his legs as all three kits jumped up and down on his stomach. "You've defeated me, Blackstar." He closed his eyes and let his tongue loll out of his mouth.

"Hooray!" Emberkit shouted.

"What are you three doing?" Rabbitpaw asked. She'd just returned from taking fresh-kill to the elders, and was watching the spectacle between father and children with amusement.

"Rabbitpaw!" the kits cried, leaping off Wildheart in favor of Rabbitpaw. As Wildheart's apprentice, Rabbitpaw always had time to play with the kits and teach them hunting and fighting moves. Wildheart, stood up, shaking the snow out of his fur, and joined Fireflower to munch on his frog.

"Hello, kits," Rabbitpaw purred. "How do you like the snow?"

"It's amazing!" Earthkit piped up.

"But cold," Emberkit added.

"You're just wimpy." Coalkit shoved his brother into the snow.

"Are not!" Emberkit protested, shaking the snow out of his fur.

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Hey, hey, calm down." Rabbitpaw laughed. "I think it's sort of cold too."

"Really?" Earthkit asked in amazement. "But your fur is so thick and soft. How can you get cold?" Rabbitpaw's orange-and-gray-striped fur was velvety smooth, and thick as moss. Earthkit couldn't see how the apprentice was ever even slightly chilly.

"My paws get cold." Rabbitpaw replied. She showed them her pads. "See, mine are more pink than yours, and more sensitive."

The kits stared in wonder at Rabbitpaw's pads, comparing hers with their dark gray-pink pads. Rabbitpaw's seemed daintier as well; while the kits' paws were larger, with slight webbing between the toes, Rabbitpaw's were smaller and narrower.

"Why's yours different?" Coalkit asked.

"Because one of my ancestors was a ThunderClan cat. Their paws are softer than ours."

"Whoa! That's weird!" Earthkit cried, and Emberkit asked, "Who was it?"

"Her name was Tawneypelt. She joined ShadowClan when ThunderClan didn't trust her because her father was Tigerstar."

"Wow," the kits murmured as one. They were old enough to have heard the elders talking about the horrible Tigerstar and what he had done.

"Why didn't they trust her?" Coalkit asked. "It's stupid that they didn't trust her 'cause of her father."

"I'd never do that!" Earthkit announced proudly.

Rabbitpaw shrugged. "Sometimes it happens, when everyone is scared that it will happen again. Anyway," Rabbitpaw crouched down and waved her tail. "How about a hunting lesson?"

"Yeah!" the three kits shouted. They immediately dropped into a crouch similar to Rabbitpaw's.

"Put your hindquarters down, Coalkit, you look like a badger."

Earthkit giggled, which earned her a glare from her brother. Coalkit adjusted his crouch.

"Good, good." Rabbitpaw complimented. "Now, trying stalking."

The kits crept forward; Earthkit was almost completely silent, and Coalkit's muscles rippled under his pelt.

"Try lighter steps, Emberkit." Rabbitpaw mewed. "A mouse can feel your paw-steps if they're not light enough."

Emberkit sat down with a thump. "This is hard." he whined.

"It's not so bad." Fireflower commented from her spot next to Wildheart. "It'll get easier."

Emberkit opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly closed it and sniffed the air. "I smell Spottedstar." He took another sniff. "And Darkfrost and Dustwhisker."

"How do you know what they smell like?" Coalkit retorted. "You've never met them."

"Well I've seen them. And I knows what they smell like, 'cause Spottedstar kinda smells like stars and nighttime, and Darkfrost and Dustwhisker smell like leaves and stuff, 'cause they's medicine cats." At this speech, Wildheart and Fireflower exchanged glances. Coalkit just shook his head.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the High Tree for a Clan meeting." Spottedstar's call rang out over the camp. Cats appeared from all every den and hole.

"Wait here." Fireflower told her kits. Coalkit grumbled, but they stayed put while Fireflower, Wildheart and Rabbitpaw moved towards High Tree.

"I've called a meeting to retire a noble cat to the elder's den." Spottedstar looked down at Darkfrost and Dustwhisker.

"Darkfrost, is it your wish to give up your duties as a medicine cat to your apprentice, and retire to live in the elder's den?"

"It is." Darkfrost answered. His raspy voice didn't carry far over the camp, but every cat knew what his answer was. Darkfrost was very old, and Dustwhisker had been his apprentice for almost six seasons.

"Very well," Spottedstar said. She leaped off the High Tree and approached Darkfrost. "Then may StarClan grant you many seasons of rest." She placed her head on Darkfrost's, and he gave her shoulder a respectful lick.

Cats gathered around Darkfrost and Dustwhisker, many wishing the latter luck in his new position as sole medicine cat of ShadowClan.

Coalkit turned to his siblings, ready to comment on how boring it would be to be a medicine cat, when he caught sight of Emberkit's face.

Emberkit looked over at Earthkit and Coalkit, his eyes shining. "I wanna be a medicine cat."


	5. Chapter 3

**Well well, ask and ye shall receive... even if any reviews I received weren't all that helpful. xD But lucky you, I'm bored and it's really late, soooo I'm gonna update now. Plus, I redid this chapter so it's longer now. Yay! R&R pretty please. I appreciate criticisms as well. As long as it's constructive, and not, "U suc, & fale l1fe" or something like that. xD**

**Disclaimer: Erin Hunter owns warriors, not me. Any names/plots that may be the same or similar to yours or someone else's is a complete coincidence.**

**Chapter 3**

A thin wail echoed through the ThunderClan camp, almost lost in the howl of the wind. Bitter cold followed the snowflakes that fell into the hollow, but the cats sleeping in their dens were mostly protected from the biting wind. Only the horrible sound alerted anyone to a blizzard.

The medicine cat peered from her den, worry making her tail lash back and forth. She knew where that wail was coming from; a queen was kitting in the nursery, and the medicine cat wasn't there to help. The small brown tabby was practically shaking.

But it wasn't her fault; flakes were falling thickly, too thickly to see through. The medicine cat kneaded her paws against the ground. Behind her, she heard a sigh.

"I wouldn't go out there, Willowheart."

Willowheart turned around. "I'm sorry, Snowtooth, did I wake you?"

The large white tom shook his head. "No, the wind did. And you shouldn't go out there. It won't help anyone if the medicine cat freezes to death."

"But Tawneyfeather needs me. She's kitting!" Willowheart turned back towards the entrance of her den.

"She'll be fine. She has Acornpelt." Snowtooth was referring to the cream-colored queen who was also in the nursery. He stood up; he was only in the medicine den recovering from a slice over his left eye. He could still stop Willowheart if he needed to.

Willowheart just looked out at the swirling snow and sighed in agitation.

Inside the nursery, the wail died down. A tortoiseshell she-cat flopped back down into her nest, panting heavily.

"How are you feeling, Tawneyfeather?" Acornpelt asked.

"Horrible. I think they're coming." Tawneyfeather gave a shaky laugh. Even as she said this, another pain seized her stomach, and with a soft _thump_, a small wet bundle fell to the ground. Acornpelt immediately began licking it, roughing the fur up backwards to warm the kit up. It wasn't freezing in the nursery, but it wasn't all that toasty either.

"It's a she-kit." Acornpelt said as the kit gave a tiny mew. Tawneyfeather purred happily as she licked her little gray-brown kit. Quickly however, the pain started again, and soon another kit had joined the first one, this time a fuzzy black-and-white tom.

"He looks like his father." Tawneyfeather whispered happily.

Both kits began suckling, and Tawneyfeather looked down at them, purring contentedly. However, after a moment, her purr faded. "Odd," she said. "I was sure Willowheart said there were three kits."

"Hmm…" Acornpelt ran her paw over Tawneyfeather's belly, pausing when she felt another lump. "There is another one here. But I wouldn't worry; she'll come when she's ready."

Tawneyfeather chuckled despite herself. "She?"

"Yes, she-kits are always more patient than the toms. And much more independent."

It was quite a while before the third kit decided to come. Tawneyfeather had dozed off, with Acornpelt watching over her, when Tawneyfeather's belly suddenly clenched.

"Here she comes." Acornpelt breathed.

"She" turned out to be a tiny white kit. Acornpelt began licking her, but after a long moment, stopped. There was no sign of life in the tiny kit.

"Tawneyfeather," Acornpelt wasn't sure how to continue. But Tawneyfeather understood.

"No!" she growled. "She's not dead. I didn't wait this long for her to be dead." She pulled the lifeless kit towards her and began licking furiously, until the kit's white fur stuck out in all directions.

Suddenly, the kit gave a tiny gasp. Breathing a sigh of relief, Tawneyfeather sank down in her nest. She gathered all three of her kits around her and they began to suckle noisily. Acornpelt sat down in her nest, sending thanks to StarClan.

Suddenly, they both noticed that the wind had stopped howling. It became strangely quiet as the snow fell silently to the ground.

Seeing her chance, Willowheart streaked out of her den towards the nursery. She stopped at the entrance, seeing Tawneyfeather wrapped around her three kits.

"How is everything?" Willowheart asked Acornpelt.

Acornpelt glanced at her den mate. "Everything's fine – now."

"Now?" the medicine cat inquired.

"The little white one," the queen nodded towards Tawneyfeather's smallest kit. "I wasn't sure if she'd-"

"Blizzardkit." Tawneyfeather interrupted. "Her name is Blizzardkit. And she's fine. She always was."

Acornpelt and Willowheart slowly nodded, going along with the queen's delusion. "What about the other two?" Willowheart asked.

Tawneyfeather considered it. Pointing to the gray she-kit with her tail, who also possessed white paws, she said, "Birdkit. And the tom is Nightkit."

"You're not even going to ask Swiftlegs?" Acornpelt joked.

Tawneyfeather huffed. "You don't see him giving birth in here, do you?" The two queens chuckled at their private joke.

"Well, everything seems fine here. Tawneyfeather, I'll just leave you some of the borage I brought. Make sure you eat all of them, hear?" Willowheart pushed a few green leaves at her.

Tawneyfeather obediently swallowed the herbs and quickly fell asleep. Willowheart motioned for Acornpelt to follow her out.

"Odd," Willowheart trailed off as she looked at the sky. With the way the stars were shining, she'd never had guessed a blizzard had been raging only moments ago. She stiffened for a moment, staring at something Acornpelt couldn't even comprehend.

"About Blizzardkit," the cream-colored queen ventured. "I swear Willowheart, that kit was dead when she was born. But somehow, with enough prayers to StarClan, and Tawneyfeather's stubbornness, she's alive now. But you should keep an eye on her."

The medicine can nodded, coming out of her reverie. "She is well named; if that newborn kit can survive a blizzard, she can survive anything."

**Unfortunately, no matter how hard I try, these first four or so chapters are going to be a bit short, as it's just introducing the twelve to clanlife and such. As the plot gets juicier, the chapters will get longer... or I'll just update more. :]**


	6. Chapter 4

**Well, it seems you all hate me. Not a single review. -sob- Well, life must go on I suppose.  
I apologize if these chapters seem a bit tedious. I'm just trying to let you all get a feel for the twelve's personality and place in the clan. As soon as they're all apprentices, things will start getting interesting.  
So, R&R. Here's another ultimatum for you; no more updates until I have a whopping 5 reviews. That's right, 5. Questions, comments and criticisms are appreciated! **

**Disclaimer: Erin Hunter owns warriors, not me. Any names/plots that may be the same or similar to yours or someone else's is a complete coincidence.**

**Chapter 4**

"Echokit, Stormkit, and Lionkit." The spotted gray she-cat said, gazing proudly at her kits. They had barely opened their eyes and were, at the moment, sleeping.

"They're beautiful, Spottednose." the medicine cat said. He was almost identical to Spottednose, as they were brother and sister.

"But Stonespots, I called you in here because I want you to look at Lionkit." Spottednose's smallest kit, a golden tom who looked just like his father, seemed sickly and sluggish.

Stonespots placed his paw gently on Lionkit's back. "He feels slightly warm, but all kits are sometimes. It's almost new-leaf; as soon as it warms up, all your kits will be fine."

"Sunkit was like that too for a while," piped up the other queen in the nursery. She was a longhaired gray with a slightly squashed face named Graycloud. "But he's fine now. It comes and goes." Graycloud's two kits, Yarrowkit and Sunkit, looked up briefly from their play, but didn't say anything.

"See Spottednose, he'll be fine." Stonespots said.

"Well, alright." Spottednose conceded. She lay down and nuzzled her two other kits. Stormkit was a dark gray like herself and Stonespots, but she had only a white throat and no other markings. Echokit had slightly longer fur that was light gray with dark tabby markings.

After Stonespots left, another cat entered the nursery. This tom looked exactly like a full-grown version of Lionkit, which made sense, since he was the kits' father.

"How's Lionkit?" Yellowfur asked. Yellowfur was the deputy of WindClan, and didn't have much time to visit his kits.

"Stonespots says he'll be fine. Apparently all kits catch little chills now and then." Spottednose sighed. "I hope he's right."

"Come on guys, let's play outside."

A watery-looking late green-leaf sun filtered through the brambles covering the nursery. Echokit shook his brother and sister, trying to wake them up. Stormkit groaned and rolled over, but Lionkit opened his small blue eyes.

"It's not cold, is it?" he asked softly. The tiny tom's tail curled more tightly around his body, as if the idea of chilly weather made him feel colder.

But Echokit shook his head. "Nope. It's nice and warm. The sun is out." He bounced around his mother, Spottednose, who was still asleep. "Come on, Stormkit," he whined, prodding his sister again. "Lionkit's coming, right Lionkit?" Echokit glanced at the gold kit. Lionkit still might not go outside, even with the promise of sun. He'd been sickly ever since he was born, and Spottednose never let him out of the nursery; Lionkit mainly preferred staying next to his mother and sleeping.

"I'm coming," Lionkit agreed. After a few more prods from Echokit, Stormkit finally rolled out of her nest and shook herself awake. All three were just about to leave when Yarrowkit and Sunkit appeared by the entrance.

"Are you going out too?" Sunkit asked, and Echokit nodded. "Graycloud said we could, as long as we didn't bother the warriors." Sunkit added. "Did Spottednose say you could come out?" Echokit noticed he seemed to be talking to Lionkit when he said this. But Lionkit didn't seem to notice.

"Course she did!" Echokit answered for his brother, with a glance at Graycloud. However, Echokit had a feeling Graycloud didn't care what Spottednose's kits did, as long as they were quiet and stayed out of her nest. The gray she-cat didn't seem to care for any other kits other than her own.

Sunkit looked suspicious, but Yarrowkit nudged him. "Come on, they're not that much younger. They'll be fine." Sunkit nodded and Yarrowkit led the way out of the nursery. Echokit blinked in the sun; this was the first time he'd seen so much of it.

"What should we play?" Echokit asked, looking around at their small group.

"We should play Clan." Yarrowkit said, immediately taking charge. "Since I'm the oldest, I'll be leader." Echokit opened his mouth to protest, but Yarrowkit glared at him. The gray kit shut his mouth and let the bossy gray she-kit talk.

"I'm the leader of YarrowClan, and Sunkit is my deputy." Yarrowkit continued. "You two can be warriors," she pointed to Echokit and Stormkit, "And Lionkit can be medicine cat, since he's too wimpy to be a warrior."

"Yarrowkit! That's not very nice." Sunkit protested, but Echokit had already taken over. He pounced on Yarrowkit, using his superior weight to pin Yarrowkit down. Yarrowkit shrieked in surprise.

"Lionkit isn't wimpy. Take it back!" he growled. He heard someone gasp behind him, but he was past caring. He just wanted to claw Yarrowkit's ears for what she'd said about Lionkit.

Suddenly, Echokit was yanked off of Yarrowkit. He hissed in surprise when he found himself facing a wrathful Graycloud.

"How dare you attack my kit, you piece of mousedung? I'll teach you not to-."

"Graycloud, if you don't leave my son alone, I'll personally rip you to shreds." Yellowfur stood over Lionkit and Stormkit, viewing the scene with a cold eye.

"Your _son_, Yellowfur, was trying to hurt Yarrowkit." Graycloud hissed. Echokit quickly slipped away from the angry she-cat.

"I'm sure they were just play-fighting." Spottednose piped up. She appeared next her mate, sheltering tiny Lionkit between her paws. The poor kit barely seemed to realize what was going on. "You were just playing, right Echokit?" Spottednose spoke in a voice that said she wanted Echokit to agree with her. But Echokit was too mad to lie.

"No, I wanted to hurt her! She was mean to Lionkit!" he spat.

"See?" Graycloud said triumphantly. Yellowfur glared at her.

"Yarrowkit said Lionkit was wimpy and couldn't be a warrior," Stormkit murmured from the shelter of her father.

"I didn't mean it," Yarrowkit mumbled. "Right Sunkit? Tell 'em I didn't mean it." Sunkit didn't say anything, just gazed in Stormkit's direction. Yarrowkit stared at him in outrage.

Yellowfur sighed. "Okay. Yarrowkit," looked down, not unkindly, at the gray she-kit. "It's not nice to call other cats names, okay? Echokit," the deputy turned to his son. "Clanmates don't settle arguments with fighting. If you have a problem, next time, come see me, please." Echokit nodded sullenly.

"Apologies?" Yellowfur looked at the two kits.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Yarrowkit." Echokit said dully.

"Sorry I called you wimpy, Lionkit," Yarrowkit mumbled.

Lionkit didn't say anything. He looked up, but his eyes seemed unfocused and glazed.

"There, Graycloud. Is that good enough for you?" Yellowfur asked. Echokit noticed for the first time that they had drawn quite a crowd. Warriors and apprentices sat in groups, whispering to each other as all eyes were on Graycloud.

Graycloud whirled around angrily. "Whatever," she hissed. She stalked back to the nursery, Yarrowkit on her heels. Sunkit threw a desperate look over his shoulder at Stormkit. "Sorry," he murmured. Then he trailed off after his sister.

Stormkit hadn't noticed though; she was too concerned for Lionkit, who had begun to shiver. He sniffed occasionally, staring at the ground. "What's wrong, Lionkit?" she asked.

Lionkit looked up and focused on Echokit. "You said it would be warm outside." His voice was small and shaky.

"It is," Echokit answered in astonishment. The sun had strengthened while they'd been outside and was now shining brightly overhead. Lionkit shivered, but didn't say anything else.

"Oh, Lionkit, you're catching another cold," Spottednose sighed. "Come on." She grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and carried him back to the nursery. Stormkit and Echokit followed, and once they'd entered the nursery, Echokit tried to ignore the evil glares Yarrowkit was giving him from her corner. Luckily, Graycloud looked to be asleep.

Echokit sighed as he lay down next to his mother in their nest. How had he made some many enemies in just a short span of time?

A thin cough echoed around the camp. Stormkit and Echokit watched in worry as hoarse coughing wracked their brother's tiny body. Their mother had disappeared to find Stonespots, who had been on his way to the ThunderClan border to ask their medicine cat, Willowheart, for some catmint.

Lionkit's "cold" had progressed to greencough in the span of a few days. He had been separated from his siblings so as not to pass on the illness. Stormkit and Echokit were nesting with Graycloud and her kits. Yarrowkit had complained loudly; Graycloud remained silent, but kept shooting Echokit venomous glances. Quiet Sunkit just seemed happy to play with someone other than his sister.

But now there was no playing. Graycloud and her kits were fast asleep in their corner of the nursery. Echokit and Stormkit were lying as close to their brother as they dared; Stonespots had forbidden them from touching Lionkit, incase they got sick as well.

"Is Lionkit dying?" Stormkit asked her Echokit in a soft voice.

Her brother shrugged. "I don't know what dying looks like. Hey! What're you doing?" he exclaimed as Stormkit tiptoed closer to her golden-furred brother.

"He looks cold, see? He's shivering. Maybe if I warm him up, he won't die." Stormkit snuggled next to Lionkit, who whimpered, but stopped shivering slightly. Echokit looked on, not wanting to fear his mother's wrath if he disobeyed her, but still wanting to do something for his brother. Suddenly, he perked up.

"Maybe there's still some of those good smelling leaves Stonespots was giving Lionkit. I'll ask Mossclaw; she might know." He faltered at the thought of disturbing the gray-blue warrior, but steeled himself and ran out of the nursery.

Stormkit was left alone, listening to the wheezing breaths of Lionkit. She hoped he wasn't dying; he stopped shivering and suddenly became very quiet. Stormkit had to struggle to hear her brother's breathing. Stormkit sat like that for a long time, straining to listen.

Echokit returned after a while, looking sad. "There wasn't any leaves, but Mossclaw's going to find Spottednose and Stonespots." He lay down on the other side of Stormkit. They were silent.

They were silent when Lionkit suddenly took a deep shuddering breath, and then stopped breathing all together.

Echokit was silent as his sister nudged Lionkit with her nose, whimpering. "Is this what dead looks like?" she asked. "He's not movin' or anything." Echokit didn't answer.

A yowl of pain echoed across WindClan territory as Spottednose arrived, followed closely by Stonespots and Yellowfur. Rabbits huddled in their burrows, and every cat in WindClan perked up their ears. They all recognized the sound of wild, uncontrollable sorrow.

"I let him die."

Echokit glanced at his sister. "What? No you didn't."

But Stormkit just looked stared ahead bleakly, watching as Yellowfur sadly picked up the golden scrap from the ground. A broken version of the once-proud deputy carried his tiny son away. Spottednose huddled in the corner, shaking, as Stonespots tried to console her. Spottednose suddenly whirled on her brother.

"Leave me alone!" she yowled. "You let him die. You let my son die! Get away from me!" Stonespots backed away, bewildered. Spottednose collapsed, keening for her dead son. After glancing over at Echokit and Stormkit, Stonespots exited the den. Slightly afraid of his mother's anger, but feeling the need to comfort her, Echokit crept to Spottednose's side. With a sweep of her tail, Spottednose gathered her only son to her side, and curled around him. Echokit licked her paw, trying to tell his mother, without words, that he was still here. She still had him.

No one seemed to notice Stormkit, who was still sitting in the middle of the nursery, a dead look on her face as she stared out at the rapidly gathering clouds. It rained all night, as if StarClan themselves were mourning Lionkit.

**Aww... poor Lionkit. :'( Yeah, this chapter was considerably longer, cuz I wanted you to all love and pity Lionkit before he died! Mwuahaha... oh, I'm a heartless wrench. And I love me some foreshadowing.  
Anywho, R&R POR FAVOR! :D**


	7. Chapter 5

**Whelp, as No1fanofalot so cleverly pointed out, I now have five reviews in stock. Very crafty indeed. .  
And, by the way No1fanofalot, yes Lionkit was one of WindClan's three, but he won't come back to life like Blizzardkit did... cuz he's buried, and that'd be gross. xD But I can't give away all my secrets! Not yet at least. xD  
Okay then, Chapter 5. Back to ThunderClan. And by the by, Acornpelt's three kits have been born! If you want to name one, you have to give me a genuine review. Only one name per person. The kits are; a dark brown tabby she-cat and a ginger she-cat. The third kit, an orange tom, is named Lightkit, in honor of my friend's cat Eli who died recently. :(**

**Disclaimer: Erin Hunter owns warriors, not me. Any names/plots that may be the same or similar to yours or someone else's is a complete coincidence.**

**Chapter 5**

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highrock for a Clan meeting."

Sagestar's call rang out around the ThunderClan camp. The leader stood regally as the Clan assembled, his cream-colored pelt blending in with the stone behind him. The midmorning sun lightened every entrance in the stone hollow. Birdkit, Nightkit, and Blizzardkit tumbled out of the nursery in excitement. Blizzardkit immediately blinked and stumbled back into the shadows in the nursery. Nightkit and Birdkit turned around.

"What's wrong?" Birdkit asked.

"The sun hurts my eyes." Blizzardkit whined. Birdkit looked over at her brother, then back at her sister. Blizzardkit's odd, completely colorless eyes seemed highly sensitive to light. The pink skin of her ears also had a tendency to burn under harsh sunlight.

"It doesn't matter," their mother, Tawneyfeather said, as she left the nursery. "You three aren't apprentices so you can't join the meeting."

"But we're almost old enough!" Birdkit complained. "We're really close to six moons." This wasn't actually true. The three kits were barely five moons old. "Well, I'm almost as big as Ravenpaw, anyway." Birdkit concluded, referring to the small black she-cat. Ravenpaw and Wheatpaw had been made apprentices only a few nights before Nightkit, Birdkit, and Blizzardkit were born. Littlepaw had been an apprentice a moon longer than them.

Tawneyfeather's gaze softened as she looked down at her fierce daughter. "Just stay right here; you can hear, can't you?" With that, she walked over and sat next to a small brown she-cat named Rabbitfur. Rabbitfur was the mother of Littlepaw, whose warrior ceremony was about to take place.

"Will you be all right watching the kits, Blizzardkit?" Acornpelt asked. Her three small kits had been born less than three nights ago. Acornpelt hadn't named them yet though. She claimed she was waiting for "just the right names."

"We'll be all right," Blizzardkit assured her. Blizzardkit, unable to go out of the nursery all the time, was usually happy to watch the kits for Acornpelt.

Acornpelt nodded and joined Tawneyfeather.

"Cats of ThunderClan, I have gathered you all for a very important meeting. You all know that warriors are the life blood of a Clan, and today, I get the honor of naming a new one." Sagestar announced. Excited murmurs swept through the crowd. Nightkit and Birdkit strained to see Littlepaw, who was probably sitting under the Highledge. The kits decided she must be sitting next to Swiftlegs, who, not only was the ThunderClan deputy, but also was Littlepaw's mentor and the father of the three kits.

"Swiftlegs, your apprentice has trained hard to learn the ways of the warrior code. Is Littlepaw ready to receive her full name?"

"She is." The black-and-white warrior said. Littlepaw beamed at her mentor's words.

"Then I, Sagestar, leader of ThunderClan, call up my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you a warrior in her turn." He looked down at Littlepaw. "Littlepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Littlepaw was visibly trembling, but when she spoke, her voice was clear and steady. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Littlepaw, from this moment you will be known as Littlestripe. StarClan honors your intelligence and skill and welcomes you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Sagestar jumped down from the Highrock and rested his muzzle on Littlestripe's head. Littlestripe gave Sagestar's shoulder a respectful lick. Littlestripe's eyes were shining joyfully.

"Littlestripe! Littlestripe! Littlestripe!" The Clan chanted the warrior's new name. Cats crowded around Littlestripe, trying to be the first one to congratulate her.

"I can't wait until we're warriors." Birdkit sighed. Nightkit nodded in agreement.

Nightkit's eyes opened sleepily. A sudden draft from outside the nursery had awoken him, and he realized Blizzardkit wasn't in her usual spot by his side. Looking outside, he could barely see the moon through the bramble barrier over the nursery entrance. Illuminated in the moonlight was Blizzardkit.

Squirming out of his comfy spot between his mother and Birdkit, he glanced back to make sure he hadn't disturbed either one. When neither she-cat moved, Nightkit preceded out of the nursery.

"Blizzardkit? What're you doing out here?" Nightkit blinked in the bright moonlight.

Blizzardkit turned around, the moonlight bouncing eerily off her colorless eyes. "Bad dreams."

Nightkit sat down next to his sister, pressing his pelt against hers. She felt cold, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it. "What about?"

At this, Blizzardkit actually shivered. "It's horrible," she whispered. "There are so many dead cats, and the ones still living are injured and crying horribly. I used to just dream about them, but now they've started showing up when I'm awake too." She buried her face in Nightkit's shoulder, as if she could escape the terrifying images.

"Have you talked to Willowheart about it?" Nightkit asked. He was really worried now; this was completely unlike Blizzardkit.

"No. I think about it sometimes, but I'm afraid – afraid that Willowheart will think I should become a medicine cat."

Nightkit shook his had in bewilderment. "Why in StarClan would she think that?"

Blizzardkit looked at him with a bleak expression on her face. "Look at me, Nightkit. How could I ever be a proper warrior?" she sighed.

It took Nightkit a moment to realize what she meant.

Of course: her eyes.

Blizzardkit shook her head in dismay. "I can't be a warrior when I can't even go outside during the day. I won't be able to hunt properly…" She hung her head.

"But," Nightkit tried to grasp and something, anything, that would make her feel better. "You could just hunt at night. It wouldn't be that hard. I'd help you!"

"But what if we have to fight during the day? What if the camp is attacked? I'll be more useless than a newborn kit!" she sighed. "Maybe I should be a medicine cat. Or just join the elders now."

"Blizzardkit…" Nightkit wasn't sure what else to say. Instead, he leaned comfortingly against her and flicked her with his tail. "Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll be great at it."

Blizzardkit chuckled slightly. "Thanks Nightkit."

"Birdkit, come back here! Your furs sticking out everywhere and you look like a hedgehog." Tawneyfeather was in a rage. Her kits' apprentice ceremony was starting any moment and she'd found out that Birdkit had decided to play "jump over the puddle." The puddle had won.

Grumbling, Birdkit endured Tawneyfeather's rough tongue, and was soon clean and shiny. Now all they had to do was wait for Sagestar to call the meeting.

"Are you nervous?" Nightkit asked Blizzardkit. His sister nodded. Under Nightkit's guidance, she had finally approached Willowheart about her dreams. Willowheart had listened carefully as Blizzardkit told her about the cats, all who seemed to belong to the Clans, that haunted her sleeping and waking with horrible yowls and cries of pain. Blizzardkit had then taken to shadowing the medicine cat, and Willowheart let the white kit sleep in the medicine den. After a while, the dreams had faded and Blizzardkit had decided that maybe being a medicine cat wasn't so bad after all. She was thrilled when Willowheart had asked her to be her apprentice.

Right at sundown, Sagestar was up on Highledge, calling the meeting. Many cats were surprised; it was an odd time to call a meeting, unless it was an emergency. Many of them exchanged uneasy glances, searching for signs of trouble. Tawneyfeather followed her kits to the crowd, stopping at the edge. The kits continued to the front, as they'd been coached. In the near darkness, Blizzardkit was able to look freely about.

Sagestar stepped forward, silencing the curious whispers. "Cats of ThunderClan, I called you together so that we can name three new apprentices." Whispers broke out again, and many eyes turned to Blizzardkit. Everyone in the clan knew about her disability, but not many cats knew that she'd decided to become a medicine cat. Most of them thought she was becoming a warrior, and frowned on it. Nightkit bristled when he heard these whispers. But Blizzardkit pressed herself against her brother.

"Let them talk. It doesn't bother me." She stared out at the crowd, a small smile on her muzzle.

Sagestar continued with the ceremony. "Today, Nightkit and Birdkit will become warrior apprentices." He looked down at Nightkit. "From this moment, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice shall be known as Nightpaw. Snowtooth, you will be mentor to this apprentice. You are a strong and skillful warrior, and I hope you will pass these skills to your new apprentice."

Grinning, Nightpaw reached up to touch noses with the white warrior. Snowtooth chuckled at his apprentices smile.

"Birdkit, from now on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Birdpaw. Lionfang will be your mentor. Do well to learn his cunning and skill in battle."

Birdpaw nodded and solemnly touched noses with Lionfang. Inside, she was brimming with happiness. The golden tom was the best fighter in the Clan! Birdpaw quickly took her new place with Nightpaw by the other apprentices. Now it was Blizzardkit's turn. The white kit looked rather lonely by herself under the Highledge.

Sagestar jumped down from the Highledge, landing next to Blizzardkit. "Willowheart," he said. The tabby she-cat nodded and stepped forward. The medicine cat gazed gently at Blizzardkit.

"Willowheart has decided to take an apprentice. Blizzardkit, until you receive your full medicine cat name, you will be known as Blizzardpaw. I entrust you to Willowheart, so you may learn the ways of the medicine cats."

Blizzardpaw nodded happily, touching her nose to Willowheart's. Nightpaw was happy to see that Blizzardpaw seemed content with her choice. Willowheart turned to her new apprentice.

"Are you ready?" she asked Blizzardpaw. Sagestar and Willowheart had chosen this day specially; it was the half-moon tonight, the night that the medicine cats of the Clan met at the Moonpool.

Blizzardpaw nodded, eyes shining. She nodded respectfully to Sagestar and followed her mentor towards the camp exit.

"Blizzardpaw!" The she-cat spun around, seeing Nightpaw and Birdpaw racing towards her.

"You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye were you?" Nightpaw asked.

"No." Blizzardpaw laughed. "But Willowheart and I have to go. It's almost moonhigh." Her siblings glanced up at the sky.

"She's right," Willowheart said. "Don't worry; you'll have your sister back when you wake up."

Birdpaw and Nightpaw nodded. Nightpaw gave Blizzardpaw's ear a quick flick of his tail, then he and Birdpaw drifted off towards the apprentices den.

"It's not going to be the same, is it?" Blizzardpaw asked as the two she-cats left camp. Willowheart looked back at her apprentice; Blizzardpaw was staring at the ground as she walked.

"I won't lie to you, Blizzardpaw." Willowheart said as they kept walking. "Things are going to be different. You'll have to sleep in the medicine den, in case I need you; you won't be training with your brother and sister, or any of the other cats your age. But it's not all bad," Willowheart continued. "You get to speak with StarClan, and treat your fellow Clanmates."

Blizzardpaw perked up at the thought of speaking with StarClan and asking them what they knew of her dreams. On the way to Moonpool, they ran into a tom who smelled of herbs and ShadowClan.

"Hello Willowheart," the brownish-orange tom asked. Blizzardpaw thought he had a strange colored pelt; it reminded her of the orange-ish stone that made up the ThunderClan hollow. "Who's this?" he asked, glancing at Blizzardpaw.

"This is Blizzardpaw, my new apprentice." Willowheart purred. "Blizzardpaw, this is the ShadowClan medicine cat, Dustwhisker. At least, I'm assuming you're the medicine cat now, since I don't see Darkfrost."

"Yes, Darkfrost finally decided to retire. You know him; he's so blind that he couldn't tell a cherry from a deathberry." Dustwhisker joked.

"Well, congratulations." Willowheart mewed as they continued walking.

"So, how do you like your training?" Dustwhisker asked Blizzardpaw.

For a moment, Blizzardpaw was struck dumb by the fact that the ShadowClan cat was actually talking to her as an equal. Finally, she mangaged to choke out, "I was just apprenticed today."

"Oh, well, you've got a lot ahead of you. But don't worry; Willowheart's an amazing medicine cat." Dustwhisker said warmly. Blizzardpaw nodded, starting to feel less stiff around the tom. They walked to silence the rest of the way.

When they reached the Moonpool, it was nearly moonhigh, and three other cats were waiting for them.

"Thank goodness, we thought we'd have to start without you," joked a gray spotted tom.

"Oh hush, Stonespots. You're usually the late one." Willowheart laughed. Next to Stonespots was a blue-gray she-cat with brilliant blue eyes, and a scruffy brown tabby.

"Whose your friend, Willowheart?" asked the blue-gray she-cat.

"Everyone, this is Blizzardpaw, my apprentice. Blizzardpaw, this is Stonespots, from WindClan, and Waterfur and her apprentice Grasstongue, from Riverclan." Willowheart pointed to the she-cat and the scruffy looking tom. Blizzardpaw wondered how he'd gotten such a strange name.

"Well, we should get started. Blizzardpaw, please step up to the pool." Willowheart sat next to the Moonpool. The half-moon was reflected perfectly in the near-still pool of water. Blizzardpaw stepped forward, feeling nervous about all the cats staring at her. She sat, facing Willowheart, whose eyes reflected the starlight above them.

"Blizzardpaw, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of a medicine cat?" Willowheart asked.

"It is." Blizzardpaw trembled slightly.

Willowheart's eyes flew skyward. "Very well. Warriors of StarClan, I present to you this apprentice. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant her your wisdom and insight, so that she may understand your ways and heal her Clan in accordance with your will." She looked back at her apprentice. "Now, you may drink from the pool."

Blizzardpaw crouched down next to the pool, and the other medicine cats sat around her. She lapped a few drops from the pool; it tasted of ice and stars. Immediately, she felt tired and dropped into sleep. When she blinked her eyes open again, she was no longer at the Moonpool, but in a strange wooded area that reminded her of her own home. But here, the trees were much taller, and it felt older, older than the Clans…

"Blizzardpaw?"

Blizzardpaw whirled around. Standing there was a mottled gray tom with bright blue eyes.

"Who're you?"

The tom eyed her in amusement. "My name's Jayfeather. I was once a ThunderClan medicine cat."

Blizzardpaw's eyes widened. "Jayfeather; I've heard of you! You were one of the Three. You defeated the Dark Forest cats!"

Jayfeather snorted, but only said, "Yeah." Then he shook his head. "But that's not why I'm here. Blizzardpaw, you are… different. Those dreams you had, they have a meaning-"

"You know about my dreams?" Blizzardpaw interrupted.

Jayfeather looked irritated. "Of course I did. I sent them to you." Suddenly, he looked a little uneasy. "I wasn't really supposed to, not until you were an apprentice, but… I felt you needed to know what might happen."

"What do you mean, _might_ happen? Those cats in my dreams, suffering; that's going to happen?" Blizzardpaw asked in panic.

Jayfeather shook his head, irritated again. "No, now just listen. It's true that they might happen; bad things could happen if the prophecy isn't fulfilled."

"Wait, what prophecy?" Blizzardpaw scowled.

Sighing, Jayfeather recited; _"A dying warrior will destroy the Clans if the elements do not combine with a falling star."_

Blizzardpaw just stared at him, dumbfounded. "What does that even mean?"

Jayfeather stared at her levelly. "I don't know, you tell me. It's not my prophecy."

"You mean the prophecy doesn't come from StarClan?"

Slowly, the medicine cat shook his head. "We know what part of it means, and that's why you've been receiving dreams."

Blizzardpaw shook her head in annoyance. "You're making no sense. At all."

"Nevermind," Jayfeather sighed. "It's almost time for you to go. So, here." The gray tom leaned forward, his blue eyes shining brightly. He gently touched his nose to Blizzardpaw's. A warm, fuzzy feeling swept through her, and her eyes slowly drooped shut.

"Wait…" she trailed off.

"Just keep dreaming, Blizzardpaw. Dream up the answer."

**Oh my Juliet, look at all those words. xD Told ya it was getting more interesting. R&R along with the names of Acornpelt's kits! :D**


	8. Chapter 6

**Well, here I am again. But I'm sad, because no one reviewed, and I still don't have names for two of Acornpelt's kits. But I promised a friend that I would update today, so here we go. More WindClan... we've been seeing a lot of them and ThunderClan lately, haven't we? Well, next chapter will be someone else, so don't get too bored.**

**Disclaimer: Erin Hunter owns warriors, not me. Any names/plots that may be the same or similar to yours or someone else's is a complete coincidence.**

**Chapter 6**

Echokit yawned widely, blinking in the late sunlight. He couldn't believe he'd managed to fall asleep in the middle of the day! Then again, he'd needed a serious nap; after venturing out of camp with Stormkit and Spottednose, he'd been exhausted. Stormkit, in fact, was curled up next to him, still asleep. However, something kept nudged at Echokit's mind; something important he'd forgotten. Suddenly, Stormkit stirred beside Echokit. With a blur, she jumped up.

"We're going to be apprentices!" she cried, finishing Echokit's somewhat scattered thoughts. That's when Echokit remembered; Falconstar had passed by on her way back into camp earlier, and had commented on how big Echokit and Stormkit had gotten. It was more of a compliment aimed at Spottednose; the gray speckled she-cat was ferociously protective of her remaining kits. But the two kits had still been thrilled.

_Of course,_ Echokit had thought to himself then. _We're six moons already, and I'm bigger than Yarrowpaw…_ Yarrowpaw and her brother, Sunpaw, had been made apprentices half a moon ago: the two siblings where not that much older than Stormkit and Echokit. Once Yarrowpaw and Sunpaw had become apprentices and Graycloud had left (she'd become an elder due to her age,) Bluepetal had become too pregnant to continue her warrior duties and had moved into the nursery. Echokit didn't really miss Yarrowpaw; he was actually glad the sour gray she-cat was gone. But Sunpaw had always been nice to the two younger kits; he'd been the only one who could make Stormkit laugh.

Echokit purred. It seemed Stormkit was really happy for now. Ever since Lionkit's death, she just hadn't been all that cheerful. Echokit was happy to see that the prospect of apprenticeship had pulled her out of her depression.

Spottednose had been awoken by Stormkit's cry, and her eyes twinkled happily at her kits' excitement. "Falconstar will be calling the meeting any time now. Let me groom you first; Echokit there's a burr in your tail –" Much to her kits' displeasure, Spottednose proceeded to lick them from head to toe. But the result was amazing; the white spot on Stormkit's chest glowed like a star, and Echokit's pelt was soft and neat.

Echokit perked up his ears as he heard Falconstar's call. "It's time!" he called as he bounced out of the nursery. Stormkit followed with more dignity as Spottednose just laughed. Echokit skidded to a halt, however, when he saw Skypaw, the oldest apprentice, sitting in the place of honor right below the tall boulder Falconstar made her announcements on. For a moment, Echokit faltered; had he been wrong? Was Falconstar not going to make him and his sister apprentices after all? But Yellowfur suddenly appeared at his son's side. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Realizing what he meant, Echokit's spirit was once again elevated. Soon, Stormkit joined him as Yellowfur moved to the deputy's spot. The WindClan leader quickly jumped on top of Tallrock; the white stripes in her tabby fur flashing boldly. Falconstar made sure everyone was in attendance, and then started the ceremony.

"Today, I get to honor three young cats. The first is Skypaw, who has finished his training and today will become a warrior." Whispers of excitement swept through the crowd. Falconstar raised her tail for silence.

"I, Falconstar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Skypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?

"I do." Skypaw said boldly.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Skypaw, from this moment you will be known as Skybreath. Starclan honors your bravery and strength and we welcome you as a full member of WindClan." Falconstar descended Tallrock and placed her muzzle on Skybreath's head. He gave her shoulder a respectful lick, then stepped back to join the other warriors.

Chants of, "Skybreath! Skybreath!" filled the camp clearing. Falconstar waited until the chants had died down to continue. In the mean time, Echokit couldn't help wondering who his mentor would be. Yellowfur couldn't be, because he was Echokit's father, and he already had an apprentice, Nettlepaw. Sunpaw's mentor was Foxtail, and Yarrowpaw's mentor was Graysand. Echokit thought those two went well together; both were prickly gray she-cats. Echokit hoped his mentor would be Tigerstripe or Honeyfang. Both were well known as formidable warriors.

"And now," Falconstar went on. "Two of our kits have reached their sixth moon and are ready to become apprentices. Echokit, please step forward." The gray kit practically flew forward in excitement.

Falconstar looked down at him in amusement. "From this moment, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice shall be known as Echopaw. Tigerstripe, you will be mentor to this apprentice. You are a strong and courageous warrior, and I hope you will pass this knowledge on to your new apprentice."

Echopaw's eyes gleamed with excitement as he touched noses with his new mentor. Tigerstripe's gaze was stern, but at his apprentice's obvious elation, his green eyes softened slightly. Echopaw turned to watch his sister.

"From this moment on, until she has earned her warrior name, this apprentice shall be known as Stormpaw. Mossclaw," Falconstar turned to the gray-blue warrior. "Now that Skybreath is a warrior, you are free to take a new apprentice, and you will mentor Stormpaw. You did well in teaching Skybreath wisdom and compassion, and I hope that you will pass on these gifts to Stormpaw." Mossclaw nodded and stepped forward to touch noses with Stormpaw. As small as she was, Stormpaw had to balance on her hind legs to reach. Mossclaw's eyes narrowed with laughter.

"Echopaw! Stormpaw!" Spottednose crowed with delight over her kits. They grumbled slightly, but everyone else was too busy congratulating the new warrior Skybreath to really notice. The first cat to congratulate them, that wasn't there mother or father, was Sunpaw.

"Congratulations Echopaw. You too Stormpaw." He spoke rather quietly, as he always did. Echopaw noticed how he gazed at Stormpaw with a sort of soft happiness in his eyes. A quick glance at his sister told Echopaw that Stormpaw seemed to be holding back on her affectionate looks. And wasn't doing a very good job of it. Echopaw's sides tickled with mirth, but he didn't make a sound.

"Come on," Sunpaw said. "I'll show you guys around the apprentice's area." He led the way to the outer edges of the WindClan camp clearing. It was common knowledge that most WindClan cats slept outside in good weather. Echopaw and Stormpaw never had however; they'd always slept in the nursery with Spottednose.

"This is my nest, and that's Yarrowpaw's and Nettlepaw's." Sunpaw pointed out small, moss-filled indentions in the ground. He stopped next to a rather large dip. "This was Skypa- I mean Skybreath's, but since he's gone now, I think Echopaw can have it. You're almost as big as he is." Sunpaw laughed slightly, and Echopaw purred. It was nice being slightly better at something than the older apprentices, even if it was just being bigger than them.

"Here Stormpaw, you can have this spot, between me and Echopaw." He patted a small dip with his paw. "We just have to get you some moss and you'll be all set." Stormpaw nodded, happy to see that Nettlepaw's nest, which was in the middle, separated her spot from Yarrowpaw's. The gray she-cat, who looked and acted so much like her mother, Graycloud, had, for whatever reason, switched her hatred and scorn to Stormpaw. The dark gray she-cat wondered if it was because Echopaw was so hard to dislike, with his good looks and gentle manner. Or maybe it was because Sunpaw so clearly preferred Stormpaw's company to Yarrowpaw's.

Not long after they had finished fetching moss for Stormpaw's nest, Mossclaw and Tigerstripe wandered over.

"How are you finding things?" Mossclaw asked the two new apprentices.

"Good," Stormpaw piped up. "Sunpaw was just helping me with my nest."

Tigerstripe nodded. "Good," he complimented Sunpaw warmly. Echopaw decided Sunpaw must have inherited his father's excellent disposition. _If only Yarrowpaw could be more like Tigerstripe,_ he thought.

"We're going to give you two a quick tour of WindClan territory. We'll go on a more extensive patrol tomorrow, when we have more time," Mossclaw said. Stormpaw and Echopaw jumped up, ready for anything. Tigerstripe chuckled.

"Let's go then." The two warriors led the way out of camp, slithering through the well-hid entrance. Mossclaw and Tigerstripe nodded to Honeyfang, who was on guard duty. The golden she-cat winked at Echopaw and Stormpaw, murmuring a, "Congratulations," before going back to her duty of watching the surrounding hills.

As they headed out onto the open moors, a blast of cold wind nearly knocked Stormpaw off her feet. She hurried up to walk next to Echopaw, whose thick fur held against any wind.

"Now look behind you, back at camp," Tigerstripe said. The apprentices obliged, and were surprised to see that they could peer right down into the middle of the WindClan camp.

"No one can sneak up on WindClan, as long as there's someone watching." Mossclaw said. "At some point, you two will also take guard duty, but not till you're older, and have more battle experience."

Echokit perked up at the thought of battle training. Stormpaw's mind, however, was on other things.

"What's that smell?" she asked. She sniffed the wind again. "It smells like the prey Spottednose used to bring us."

Mossclaw nodded to her apprentice. "It's rabbit; that's good that you could scent it. I'm a little hungry, how about you all?" When the rest of the small patrol nodded, Mossclaw told the two apprentices to watch. She and Tigerstripe smoothly padded downwind of the rabbit scent. Mossclaw got into a stalking position, while Tigerstripe slid around upwind. Catching the tabby's scent, a rabbit burst from its hiding place, eyes wide with fear. It didn't noticed Mossclaw, who quickly jumped forward and pounced on the rabbit. She killed it with a swift bite to the neck.

"That's a good hunting technique when you have two cats." Mossclaw commented when she dropped the rabbit. The four cats took turns taking bites from the fresh-kill. "You'll learn to do that with your Clanmates, but also how to hunt prey alone."

After they'd finished the rabbit, Tigerstripe and Mossclaw led their apprentices around, showing them important spots in WindClan territory. They didn't go near the ThunderClan boarder, which disappointed Echopaw, but they got near enough to the Horseplace to hear the pounding of the horses' hooves. As the sun dipped below the horizon, they returned to camp.

Skybreath had replaced Honeyfang on guard duty, and he blinked happily when he saw Stormpaw and Echopaw. He didn't say anything however; he was under a silent vigil all night. Mossclaw and Tigerstripe dismissed their apprentices, and went to sit with some of the older warriors who were chatting over some fresh-kill.

Echopaw sank into his nest with a grateful sigh. His muscles hurt all over; he hadn't walked that much in his entire life. Sunpaw was already in his nest, and he purred happily when Stormpaw lay down next to him. Yarrowpaw and Nettlepaw were whispering close by.

Sunpaw started asking Stormpaw about her day. Echopaw tried to listen for a while, even injecting a few comments, but slowly, his eyes grew heavier and heavier. He finally lay his head down on his paws, closing his eyes. He was asleep within moments.

Echopaw winced when he felt a thorn poking in his side. _I wish Skybreath had taken better care of his nest,_ Echopaw thought as he rolled over. But the thorn continued to poke him. Echopaw sat up, shaking out his fur and opening his eyes. He yowled in surprise when he found, not a thorn, but a brown tom was poking him in the side. Stormpaw sat next to him, an equally surprised look on her face.

"Who are you?" Echopaw asked, stumbling away from the brown warrior. The tom looked strange somehow, as if he had sparkling dust in his fur. Stormpaw was busy looking around. They were in some sort of forest, but not one that seemed familiar to her. The trees here were much taller than the trees Mossclaw had pointed out in ThunderClan territory. Stars shone brightly in the night sky above them.

"My name," the brown tom said. "Is Onestar. And this," he gestured to a gray tom that seemed to melt out of the mist. "Is Kestrelflight. He was medicine cat for most of my life in WindClan."

"But, if you're Onestar," Echopaw stammered. "That means…"

"That I'm dead? Yes." Onestar's eyes blinked in amusement.

"So you're from StarClan." Stormpaw stated. She looked around in amazement. "Is this StarClan's hunting grounds?"

Kestrelflight nodded. "Yes, but there is little time for explanations now. The sun will soon be rising." He paced forward and carefully touched noses with Stormpaw. "Water," he breathed. Stormpaw stood, wide-eyed and thoroughly confused. Her fur suddenly felt wet, and she gasped as the feeling of being dunked in the lake overcame her. She choked for a moment, until she realized she could still feel the soft grass beneath her paws. "What-?"

But Onestar interrupted her by touching his nose to Echopaw's. "Shadows," he murmured. His eyes darkened for a moment; Echopaw watched, terrified, as the former leader's shadow seemed to stretch far beyond his body. Shadows lengthened all around the small forest. Suddenly, everything snapped back to normal, and Onestar's eyes cleared.

"What was that?" Echopaw whimpered. But he got no answer. Suddenly, the eyes of both StarClan cats blazed with tremendous light. They opened their mouths, and out came a sound like all the cats of StarClan were speaking with them.

_"A dying warrior will destroy the Clans if the elements do not combine with a falling star."_

Everything went dark, and Echopaw jerked awake, panting horribly and eyes wide with fear. He glanced over to see Stormpaw sitting up as well, an equally horrified look on her face.

"Echopaw, I'm scared," she whispered.

**Thanks for reading. Please please please please please PLEASE! R&R. If you don't... I might cry... or something equally horrifying.**


	9. Chapter 7

**Hello again everyone.  
Sorry this took sooo long to update. I've been suffering from lack of motivation for a while, not to mention started my new series (which you should read -nodnod-)**

**Anyway, here we are, back to ShadowClan. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Erin Hunter owns warriors, not me. Any names/plots that may be the same or similar to yours or someone else's is a complete coincidence.**

**Chapter 7**

"Dustwhisker, do you know what elements are?"

Emberpaw sat in the medicine cat den, sorting herbs for his mentor. Dustwhisker was in the back, separating good herbs from rotting ones.

"Elements? I'm not sure. The name word sounds familiar…" Dustwhisker turned to his apprentice. "Why do you ask?"

"It was just… a dream." Emberpaw mumbled. _A very crazy dream,_ he added in his mind. After receiving odd dreams from StarClan, Emberpaw and his siblings had agreed not to discuss it with anyone. But Emberpaw was still slightly curious. Three cats, who had introduced themselves as Blackstar, Littlecloud, and Tawneypelt (Earthpaw had been strangely ecstatic about that one,) had visited the siblings in a strange dream. The three starry warriors left them with much to think about; what seemed to be a prophecy. _"A dying warrior will destroy the Clans if the elements do not combine with a falling star."_ And a strange ritual; Blackstar had "named" Coalpaw "Death", while Emberpaw was "Fire" and Earthpaw was… well, "Earth."

Dustwhisker looked interested by Emberpaw's response. "A dream? Was it from StarClan?" The dusty tom abandoned his herb sorting and sat down in front of Emberpaw. The ginger apprentice shuffled his paws uncomfortably.

"I… I'm not really sure. I don't remember a lot of it." Emberpaw hated lying to his mentor; Dustwhisker was kind and understanding. He understood when Emberpaw seemed reluctant to do things. As a medicine cat apprentice, Emberpaw was quite as entranced as he had been as a kit. It just seemed boring now. Dustwhisker assured him it was become more gratifying when he actually treated patients.

"If you don't want to talk about your dream, Emberpaw, that's okay. Just remember I'm always here for consultation," Dustwhisker mewed kindly.

Emberpaw nodded, and glanced out of the medicine den, more to avoid anymore questions from Dustwhisker than for any other reason. He happened to catch sight of Earthpaw bounding across camp towards her mentor, Dapplefur. Emberpaw couldn't help envying his sister; she actually looked happy to be an apprentice. Emberpaw sighed heavily and went back to his task.

"Hi Sparkpelt! How are you?" Earthpaw greeted the yellow she-cat who was talking with her mentor.

"Bored!" Sparkpelt laughed. "But Dustwhisker insisted I move to the nursery. Something about not being able to fit through the camp entrance anymore." The queen gave a mock scowl. It appeared that Sparkpelt didn't take kindly to Dustwhisker informing her she was too pregnant to continue her warrior duties.

Earthpaw chuckled. It was amazing how fast Clan life was moving around her. She and her brothers had only been apprentices for half a moon, and so many things had happened. Volepaw had become Voleclaw, and Rocklegs had held himself proudly as he announced he was moving to the elder's den. Earthpaw had been confused by his decision for a while; Rocklegs was old, but he still seemed to hold so much vigor in him. Dapplefur had finally explained to her apprentice that Rocklegs had been slowly losing his sense of smell for the past few moons. Earthpaw pitied the gray warrior; nothing could be worse than admitting you couldn't be a warrior anymore.

"Are you ready to go?" Dapplefur asked, snapping Earthpaw out of her reverie.

"Yes!" Emberpaw exclaimed, getting more excited when she spotted Coalpaw and his mentor, Falconstrike, approaching. She and Coalpaw were going on a small hunting trip by themselves so their mentors could see if they were absorbing all the information on proper stalking techniques.

The four cats exited the ShadowClan camp, heading for the best places to hunt. "All right." Falconstrike explained to them the rules of the hunt. They had to catch two different pieces of prey before sunset.

"Emberpaw will be hunting in the area between the RiverClan border and camp. Coalpaw, you have the whole area along the ThunderClan border to hunt. But I don't want to catch either of you crossing the borders, no matter what, you hear?"

Both apprentices nodded solemnly. With a friendly flick on the ear, Earthpaw bounded away to start her hunt. Coalpaw padded away as well, after nodding to Dapplefur and Falconstrike. Following the ShadowClan scent markers, he made his way deep into the forest, the river boarding ShadowClan and ThunderClan always in his sight.

Coalpaw stalked along, keeping his tail down and his mouth open to catch any scent of prey. He soon caught sight of a robin, and lowered his body down, checking to see that he was downwind. The bird was busy attempting to crack open a snail shell, and didn't notice Coalpaw as he slowly snuck up on it. It wasn't until the last moment that the robin sensed him, before Coalpaw pounced.

He had the bird in his claws, ready to deliver the killing blow, when the robin suddenly twisted its head around and pecked at Coalpaw's eyes, narrowly missing them. He leaped back in shock as the robin stabbed at him again, this time drawing blood on his forehead. The robin immediately flew away, screeching.

"Fox-dung," Coalpaw cursed under his breath. Blood trickled down over his nose, and he licked his paw, attempting to clean up the blood. The wound smarted, but it wasn't unbearable. After a while, still cursing his bad luck, he went back to his hunt.

Coalpaw managed to catch a bullfrog, which didn't satisfy him as much as the robin would have. He buried it under some pine needles and went on. Soon, he glimpsed the abandoned Twoleg nest on the other side of ThunderClan territory.

Suddenly, a scrabbling reached his ears. A fat gray squirrel was busy nibbling on the last of the pinecones on the forest floor. Coalpaw immediately begin to stalk it, but the squirrel refused to stay still. It flitted here and there, and Coalpaw followed slowly, always staying silent and out of sight. He didn't notice when he crossed the ShadowClan scent markers, onto unfamiliar territory.

He finally caught up to the squirrel, which gave a satisfying squeak when he killed it. When he looked up, he realized he had no idea where he was. Coalpaw shrugged; no matter. He'd just follow his own scent trail back to ShadowClan. As long as he didn't wander into ThunderClan territory.

Coalpaw turned to find his scent, and was suddenly squashed flat by a screeching enemy. Coalpaw dropped his squirrel and immediately tried to fight back. But he didn't have any battle training, and his opponent was twice as big as he was. The scent surrounding him told him it was a she-cat, and not one from any Clan.

Acting on instinct, Coalpaw flipped over on his back. The she-cat leaped clear before he rolled over her. Coalpaw scrambled to his feet to face his attacker. The she-cat was black, like him, and a nasty-looking scar ran down her left hind leg. The she-cat snarled at him, and the two cats began circling each other, looking for an opening to strike.

Suddenly, the she-cat sat down and began grooming herself, as if nothing had happened. Coalpaw stared at her in surprise. Had she decided he wasn't worth the time? When he didn't relax his stance, the she-cat looked up at him in amusement.

"I'm not going to eat you, you know." The she-cat purred.

Coalpaw growled, not fooled a bit. "Who're you? And what are you doing so close to ShadowClan territory?" He lashed his tail angrily.

"Feisty, aren't we?" the she-cat purred in amusement. "You do realize we're nowhere near ShadowClan?"

That threw Coalpaw. "Huh?" He looked around, realizing there wasn't even a faint scent of ShadowClan.

This seemed to amuse the she-cat even more. "You know what that means, right? You're in my territory now. And you killed that squirrel on my territory." The she-cat barred her fangs. "So, rightfully, it's mine."

Coalpaw hissed. "No it's not! That squirrel is from ShadowClan territory. It's mine!" He hooked it up with a claw and pulled it towards him. He half expected the she-cat to spring at him again. But she surprised him once again by adopting a docile mood.

"Well, whatever you say."

Coalpaw snorted. This she-cat was starting to annoy him. "What is up with you? You try to kill me one minute, then be all nice to me the next."

The she-cat purred. "Sorry about that. It's just part of my nature."

Coalpaw wasn't sure what she meant, but he decided not to ask. Instead, he asked, "Who are you, anyway. I didn't know there were any rouges around here."

The she-cat snorted. "Of course you didn't; ShadowClan doesn't want apprentices knowing about good old Sableclaw."

"Sableclaw… but, that's a warrior's name!"

"Of course it is, mouse-brain. I used to be a warrior."

"Why aren't you anymore?"

Sableclaw narrowed her eyes. "You ask rather impertinent questions. I left because I didn't get along well with the deputy."

"Who, Owlears? That's stupid." Owlears could be prickly sometimes, but she wasn't all that bad. Although, Coalpaw could see her getting off badly with Sableclaw: this she-cat was more irritating than Voleclaw after he'd received his warrior name.

Sableclaw seemed to perk up. "Owlears is deputy now?" Coalpaw caught a glimpse of something like pride in the black she-cat's eyes. Maybe Sableclaw had mentored Owlears or something.

"But anyway," Sableclaw continued in her original manner. "Not Owlears. The old deputy, Vulturetalon. Thank StarClan that stringy old tom is dead."

"Hey, wait," Coalpaw said, thinking back. "Why wouldn't ShadowClan want me to know about you? Shouldn't they have warned me, incase you decide to come prey stealing or something?"

Coalpaw instantly realized he'd said the wrong thing. Sableclaw's ears lay flat against her head, and she snarled angrily.

"What do you know? You're just a mouse-brained kit. You're on my territory, remember?" And with that, she leapt at him, a crazed look in her eye. She bowled Coalpaw over and pinned him to the ground. He struggled in vain against the larger cat. Just when he felt her teeth against his neck, her weight suddenly vanished. Coalpaw turned to see Falconstrike batting Sableclaw away. The black she-cat hissed viciously, but turned tail and streaked off, her tail trailing blood on the ground.

Coalpaw was just about to thank his mentor, when Falconstrike whipped around, anger clear in his eyes. He stalked over to his apprentice, tail snapping behind him.

"_What_ did I tell you about crossing the boarders?" he hissed.

Coalpaw crouched down, trying to make himself as small as possible. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I'd crossed the boarder until it was too late, and then Sableclaw showed up and…" He trailed off as he realized Falconstrike didn't want to hear what he had to say. He stared at the ground. "Sorry, Falconstrike. It won't happen again."

"No, it won't, because you'll be looking after the elders for the next moon. Got it?" Falconstrike growled. "Now come on." He stalked away, and Coalpaw followed timidly. After a moment though, his mentor stopped. Without looking at his apprentice, he asked, "What did she tell you?"

Coalpaw shrugged. "Only that she used to be a ShadowClan warrior and that she left because she didn't get along with the deputy before Owlears. Vulturetalon or something like that."

Falconstrike snorted. "Don't believe her lies. Sableclaw didn't leave; she was banished. She didn't just dislike Vulturetalon, she'd despised him, and he, her. She attacked him, that's how she got that scar. So Spottedstar banished her."

All Coalpaw could say was, "Oh." He led Falconstrike to where he'd buried his frog.

"Mouse-dung! I lost that squirrel! I bet that thieving she-cat took it…" He noticed Falconstrike glaring at him. "I'll go catch something else, right now! You'll see!" Before his mentor could say anything, he raced off.

It didn't take him too long to find something. A familiar looking robin was hopping its way around the roots of a pine tree. Coalpaw thought he could still see that blood on its beak. Pricked with anger, Coalpaw launched himself at the bird, all his frustration focused on it. Coalpaw expected the bird to put up a fight like last time, but the moment his paws touched it, it went limp. It took Coalpaw a moment to realize it was dead.

A strange feeling swept through Coalpaw, and he suddenly remembered his strange dream from StarClan. A large white cat with black paws, who called himself Blackstar: the name was familiar to Coalpaw from many nursery stories. But this StarClan warrior had approached Coalpaw, touched his nose to Coalpaw's forehead, and said, "Death" with a certain amount of foreboding in his voice. And now here Coalpaw was, holding a robin that had somehow died without Coalpaw even sinking a single claw into it. What was going on?

**Poor Coalpaw; so confoosed. Anyway, please Read and Review. An author with many reviews is a happy author! And a happy author writes faster and better! :D -nodnod-**

**P.S. In case you were wondering, Sableclaw is bipolar. That's why she shifts from one emotion to the next so much. :] **


	10. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

**Hey, everyone who actually reads this.**

**Falling Star's Prophecy is going on an indefinite hiatus. I am just finding it rather difficult to update it along with my other story, Breath of a Warrior. I'm sorry if you were a devoted FSP fan (though I doubt there are any,) but I chose this story over BoaW because it seems to be catching less interest. Therefor, I plan on finishing BoaW and then returning to finish FSP... that is, if I still have any interest in finishing it. **

**Anywho, thanks for understanding. If you need something to read, you can always check out Breath of a Warrior.**

**Until later,**

**Blizzard-dream**


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